Hello, Goodbye and Birthday Wishes

Sweet Tooth Wednesday

July 18th must be a fairly popular birthday date. Both my Kennesaw roommate and co-worker Julie celebrated their birthdays today. There is nothing like cupcakes and cookies to make any day amazing. Happy birthday you two!
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Half way mark of the week, and plenty of work to go around. Much of today was simply spent on completing the PRSA Phoenix Award submission for Nick. Tomorrow is his last day, so he really needed me to stay on top of all submission pieces. Three bound notebooks, 300 sheets of paper, a cup of coffee, and 2 bathroom breaks later I completed the submission books. All that remains is to add supporting press materials (i.e. press release, infographic, media pitches, etc.) and a summary of the entire PR effort put forth during the campaign. Nick is tying up loose ends at the High, so he may turn the remaining assignments over to me for completion. I wouldn't mind because the busy work makes the day fly by.

While I was working on these submission binders, one of the interns (Shevonne) looked at my desk and made the following comment: "Your desk makes it look like you actually do work." Aw. Well, thanks Shevonne. I am glad that after seven weeks it finally looks like I am doing something productive. Actually it was nice to hear that comment, because my efforts obviously weren't being overlooked.

Even though I am a simple intern, it does not mean I won't be missed. Today during our communication meeting the entire team couldn't believe that mine and Megan’s last week is coming up. We can't get enough of our team, so the two of us are staying on board to help with Culture Shock on Saturday night. One of our co-workers, Ashlee, was very sad to discover she will not be in town on our last day. Sitting in that meeting really made me feel like my time here wasn't a waste nor was I invisible to my co-workers. But don't worry, all the sappiness was soaked up with the cake petites from Highland Bakery for Julie's birthday. Sadness soon turned into gluttony and a hankering sweet tooth.

At the end of every communication meeting, a question is asked for all to answer. This week our newest addition -Kristen the Director of Public Relations- was put in the spotlight to choose a question. What would your answer have been?

If you could have any band/singer (dead or alive) play a private concert in your backyard for you and your friends, who would it be?

Project. Project.

oh, and one more project.

Everything is in full gear, and possibly even overdrive. I was swamped with work all day! The first hour was very chill and relaxing as I looked through magazines for clips. Then I think every one's caffeine intake kicked in. I was busy doing my own personal projects and didn't talk to Megan for much of the day. The two of us have been assigned different projects these past few days. I do miss being around Megan all day, but it's nice to have full ownership of a project.

Julie had me use Adobe Photoshop (my second nature) to create photos with credit lines. Basically, the High has rights to our exhibit's photos. There is a jewelry collection being exhibited later in the year, and we have images for each piece of jewelry. These images can be used for the High's website, for an internal log of exhibit works, and also for journalists or media outlets. With each photo comes an explanation (credit line) of what is being viewed. Unfortunately, the credit lines are not initially attached to the photos. My job was to crop/scale the pictures down to an appropriate size, as well as to add the appropriate credit line to each photo. Although the project took under an hour to complete, it was nice to be back on Photoshop. The Photoshop tools I used for this project I am not too familiar with. I was able to learn a few new tricks in the wonderful world of Adobe. I love little things like that.

Nick is still keeping tabs on me regarding the Talladega Murals hit list for the PRSA award. He is back in the office (for two days until he finishes his time with the High) and met with me to discuss a few things he needed. I have already compiled a list of all the hits and now I have to make copies of all the clips in order to create a submission book. I am actually making three of these books: one for PRSA, one for another competition with IBC, and one for the High itself. With only a few articles left to copy, these books are going to be a great representation of the media this exhibition received within the past year!

Ellie gave me a new project concerning the Summer Single Mingle (Aug. 23). This event includes one drink, admission to the galleries, and an icebreaker game. Ellie recruited me to help design the icebreaker game for all (supposedly) 500 singles to participate in. We already have a concept, but Ellie has asked me to expand the idea, as well as to create challenges, icebreaker questions, and the rules for the 'winners circle' -that's right, High Museum swag.

I took a break and toured the exhibits looking for inspiration for the game. I enjoyed my solitary time in the exhibit. For such a gloomy day, the High was packed with patrons. There were people down every hallway. With all the visitors I was given a chance to see how patrons interact with the works, paintings, sculptures, etc. Some came in groups, others with their families, and some in solitude like me. It's interesting how museums promote solitude and silence, while embracing the discussion of art <--something to think about.

Hours flew by today. Maybe that is something the Museum does to its visitors. After three hours you don't realize that you have been wandering in an alternate world, yet sure enough you have just seen 12,000 works of art (and that doesn't include the special exhibitions). Just another reason why I will miss this internship. Eight more days....and counting.

A cup of tea....

 and a spoonful of modernism

As Mondays are a slow day in the real world, some things simply aren't better in the intern world either. Today drug on all day. It's not that it was a boring day, but it sure wasn't jam packed with anything special. However, one exciting thing about today was the High welcomed their newest member, Kristen, as the Director of Public Relations. Kristen will essentially be my boss for the next two weeks, and I am happy to have her as a pr professional guide. Even if I can only bother her for 10 work days, that's more than I have been able to all summer. Wednesday is our communication meeting and I will have more time with Kristen, but until then I will simply wander to her cubicle as the hours pass.

As Kristen is getting settled into her new position, I have been continuing to finish the media clips. We had logged all the clips --so we thought. As Kristen's new desk was being cleared off from the previous employee, additional clips wound up on my desk. I am not saying that some people are hoarders, but there were two magazines in the pile that dated back to 1983 and 1987! I'm sorry, what?! I was totally blown away with the fact that these magazines were still hanging around. What troopers. The articles were based on the architecture of the High Museum. I read through blurps of the articles and its funny how some things never change: modernism. Even though we are in the new millennium, the High is still recognized by its unique and modern architecture. Back in 1983, guess what is was being recognized for. Yup, its modern architecture and style. As was said in a previous communication meeting: not only does the High Museum display art, the building is art in and of itself.

As a break from media clips, Megan and I were sent out to distribute fliers for an upcoming event on community boards around the area. The fliers are to promote the High's Summer Single Mingle on August 23. We wandered to Starbucks and a few other business parks to drop off fliers and spread the word. Directly after running this errand I had a networking meeting with Kris, the vice-president of an event planning company. This chit chat over tea was nothing more than a chance for me to have more insight about the communication field. And let me tell you that Kris was definitely insightful. We talked about opportunities and different industries that teach valuable work lessons, ways of approaching employers, and she even shed some positive light on different companies I am looking into. After talking with Kris I was motivated more than ever to continue job searching. Now that I have an entire list of different industries to research, I can't wait to see what possibilities are available.

Sometimes it takes nothing more than a cup of Vespucci's sweat tea and a new friend to help shine light on what your future can hold. A friendly smile and sincere interest can cause people to open up and share their ideas and thoughts. Everyone should give that a try once and a while -you never know how it will motivate you.

Free Friday

Christmas in July

What an amazing Friday and weekend I had. Work on Friday was equivalent to an intern-Christmas. I was able to sleep in a bit and met all the interns at the Conservation Lab outside of Doraville, GA. The Conservation Lab caters to the High, as well as private vendors and owners. The High has been a happy client on the Lab for quite some time now, and it's no wonder! During the tour I was able to see works of art in all processes of conservation. They primarily work on paintings and objects, and have interesting stories for each work of art. Some pieces of work are from Hayhouse in Macon, the High, Brenau University, and private owners. Conservation is an interesting career path that begins with an undergrad in art history or chemistry, and ends with many years of apprenticeship. With such a unique purpose, the Conservation Lab was a great tour to view. Upon leaving the lab, we picked up Art Conservator magazines -one which highlights the lab's conservation work on the High's current Rising Up: Hale Woodruff's Murals from Talladega College exhibit.

                                            

After leaving the Conservation Lab, we all headed back to the High for our Lunch & Learn with the Group Sales division. This team's cubicles are right by mine, and they are entertaining to listen to everyday. They constantly have something to say, and they say it just loud enough for me to hear and enjoy at all times. Their presentation was great and we all walked away with some swag. After lunch, Megan and I finally arrived at our desks (at 1:30 p.m.) to start work, and we found little Mexican trinkets from our Director of Marketing, Jen. Jen left for New Mexico for a business trip and brought everyone back a Mexican chocolate bar and a Muñequita Quitapensa (translates to Worry Doll). A letter inside explained her purpose: "Tell her you sorrow, put her under your pillow, sleep peacefully, on the day, your sorrow would have gone away." It was so sweet of Jen to remember me and Megan, and the trinkets were very much appreciated! By the end of my short work day, I had my hands full of presents and goodies to take home. What a great way to end the work week.

  

  

My Friday ended with a dinner with a lucky guy, Paul. He took me to Trackside Grill in downtown Kennesaw. The food was amazing and the company was even better -train and all. Come to find out the restaurant isn't called Trackside Grill for nothing. It seemed as though time was told by the passing of trains right outside the window. If you are into southern American cuisine -and trains- keep Trackside Grill in mind. After dinner we hung out and enjoyed the rest of the rainy night. Eight hours later, I let the poor guy head home after hours of my boring chit chat. What a champ he was for sticking with me all night.

After a great Friday, I was left with a weekend full of music and more gifts. A family friend was starring as Annie in the Johns Creek Players production of the ever-loved musical Annie. McKenna did an amazing job as Annie, and has a voice to die for. For being fairly new to the theatre scene, McKenna has a bright future ahead of her. For loving musicals so much, it has been roughly a year since seeing a Broadway show and I was starting to have withdrawals. This play came at a perfect time and I was able to get my musical fix.

                                                  

To finish off my weekend, I received a belated (but awesome) graduation present: a Keurig coffee maker. Thanks to the Eurek family, I will now be able to enjoy a nice individual-sized coffee cup every morning to start me on the right foot. Thanks for my present!!

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Print Making & African Art

On Wednesdays we craft.

I love arts and crafts. Ask my mom and dad and they will tell you that I could spend countless hours in Michael's, AC&Moore, Hobby Lobby, and anywhere the like. I especially like big projects. If it involves paint, fabrics, a staple gun, and furniture....hit me up. Nothing stops me from crafting. Once I began an upholstery project the day  I had my wisdom teeth removed. Did I regret it? Yes, the next day my mouth was in pain from the jolting of the staple gun. Did I love the finish project? Heck yes I did. My old Loose Lucy tapestry looked amazing as wall decoration in my apartment! All of this being said, I couldn't believe it when our intern Lunch and Learn turned into a crafting session. Our Lunch and Learn was with the Education department and they had us experience the world of prints. Beside the fact the Education Department is made up of an amazing group of ladies, they won me over with crafts. Using a linoleum-ish material, some doo-dads, and some black paint goop we were all able to create our own works of art!

After sketching your pattern, you carve it out with the doo-dad.

After the carving, you cover the pattern with paint goop and press onto a canvas.

I enjoyed this project and some of the girls were mentioning how you could easily use different colored paint goop to create original curtains, pillows and fabric. What a great idea to bring a little bit of your creativity into your living space. Thanks for the keepsake, Education Department.

This project was a great preset to our tour of the African Art exhibit with the original African Art curator at the High. Although her thoughts were running rampant, you could easily recognize her passion for her job. She became the first African Art curator at the High back in 2001. She knows all the pieces like the back of her hand, and was given the opportunity to design every aspect of the exhibit --which she takes great pride in. The African Art exhibit space is very small in comparison to the High's total square footage. Another down side about this exhibit is its location within the Museum. It is on the bottom floor and usually overlooked by Museum-goers. Whenever I visited the Museum back in May I never even knew the lower exhibit space existed. Fortunately, I was able to attend this private curatorial tour and learned some fascinating facts about African culture and their arts.

The African Art curatorial tour and Lunch and Learn were a random, yet pleasant, surprise in my schedule this week. As these events typically occur on Fridays, my sense of time was slightly thrown off. Not only did today feel like a Friday, due to our intern shenanigans, but my whole department was out of the office. Two members are on vacation, one is currently working remotely, one is in New Mexico on a business trip with the Senior Director of Marketing, and another left early for a doctor's appointment. That simply left me, Megan and Ellie to cover for the Marketing Department. Everything was extremely quiet and laid-back. I don't know what we're going to do next week when everybody is back in the swing of things. It'll definitely be a wake up call.

Although many were out of the office, it actually left Megan and me with more projects to cover. Even though our team steps out of the office does not mean the world of marketing goes on vacation as well. Today we finished logging 95% of all media clips for the High and are currently waiting on Office Max to hook us up with our order request. We also had a chance to hand deliver the remaining promotional coupons to South City Kitchen and Empire State South (and mail the other restaurants). That project has officially been marked off the list! Now we are on to the next mailing project -which we saw sitting neatly on our desks when we checked out for the day. Although it stinks to have our whole department MIA this week, it has given Megan and me a chance to take on higher responsibilities. Higher-priority projects are being handed over and we take them with eager hands!
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Today surprised me. A good surprise, that is. I realized that partaking in an internship program is the best opportunity I could have been given. I was never against the idea, but I also never thought it was anything spectacular. Well, today I changed my mind 100%. During the Lunch and Learn, our intern leader Oshun sat at my table and talked to us about life, jobs, education, and the awful Southern heat! Oshun has been awesome since day one of interning, but today she really shined in my eyes. She served as an individual worthy of being a role model. Funny thing is, she works with many senior citizens with the docent program at the High. I know for a fact that every one of those docents, even 40 years her senior, look up to Oshun. Her friendliness, knowledge, life style, and understanding personality make her an amazing addition to the Education Department at the High. They made the best decision when asking her on board.

If you think I am the only one who loves being involved in an internship program, think again. Just read what my best friend Megan said about her internship at the advertising agency 22 Squared. It isn't always about the perks, the money or the benefits. Sometimes it is about the camaraderie and what you make of it.

*Read Megan's 22 Squared blog entry on the company's website.

Alarms are overrated

... and so is traffic

Facebook. This lovely site caught my attention for a bit today at work. Sadly, I do not know what I was looking at, because for three solid minutes I was staring blankly at the computer screen - 100% zoned out. It wasn't until I was tapped on the shoulder that I was brought back to reality and realized that my mind had taken a mid-day nap. I have no clue why my mind was tired. It's not like I slept in until 8:17 a.m. I mean, who needs to actually leave for work on time and get there when expected? Why not throw in some inconsistency?

Today was one of those days. It was one of those days where nothing could catch me off guard. For someone who needs to leave their apartment at 8 a.m. to be at work on time, why not throw a monkey wrench in the situation and not wake up until 8:17 a.m. NBD. Let's just say that my first few words did not go to the tune of a CMT Top Country Countdown music video. Ten minutes later I was dressed, coffee in hand and headed out the door. I thought: maybe everyone left early for work today and it'll be a breeze to Midtown. Yea --no. Traffic was as horrible as always, but something was off. After 30 minutes I thought I had driven at least 10 miles. One exit later, I realized I was mistaken and had in fact driven five measly miles in 30 minutes. I didn't understand the unusual hold-up until I got to the Marietta exit: car wreck. The car wreck resulted in two fire trucks, a tow truck, an abandoned tire, two totaled vehicles and an intense traffic merge. The far two left lanes had been affected by the wreck and everyone had to merge into the remaining three lanes of I-75 S to avoid the ordeal. After I passed the wreck, it was smooth sailing all the way to the Museum.

So first, the morning accident. Then, as a bookend to my day, the entire HMA staff received an email stating the Atlanta City Police Department had suggested a lock down in our area due to a suspicious package found around 15th and

16th street

on Peachtree. For those who might not know, those roads surround the High. I remained at work until it was 'decent' to leave the premises and headed home with everyone else who had been held up. Having these two events happen in one day would have allowed another ludicrous event to happen and leave me to not even bat an eyelash.

 Apart from all these exciting events, my work day was nothing out of the ordinary. Thank goodness, I mean, a girl can only handle so much craziness in one day. Megan and I are coming to the end of a few assignments. We had been searching for Atlanta community e-calendars to post different High events throughout the year: Summer Single Mingle, Jazz Nights, Celebrate the South with a Summer Wine Tasting.

Now that we have a decent list of e-calendars, Megan and I went ahead and posted each of the events on to relevant sites --which is more time consuming than it sounds. In addition to the e-calendars, we put a nice dent in the on-going media clip project. We put such a large dent that we quickly ran out of the pre-ordered 400 protective sheets, and we went ahead and placed an order for 600 more. Call us crazy...

Even though I am constantly on Microsoft Excel and researching websites on line for different reasons, that doesn't mean I completely tune out the cubicle chatter around me. Here is a list of things I overhear:

·         Magic Mike is ...wow. They should just keep dancing and not try to introduce a story line.

·         Channing Tatum is a hottie, but Ryan Gosling still remains the #1 man of a fellow co-worker.

·         TTFN = ta ta for now. (I knew this, but our Assistant Marketing Manager did not. Learn new things everyday).

·         Last week, back in 1946, the bikini was introduced. Men, you're welcome.

·         True Bloods is the tv series half my department watches with Netflix.

·         Ringo performed in Atlanta this past weekend.

·         Justin Bieber has some solid tracks on his new album. (questionable)

·         The High should get a slip 'n slide.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring. By the look of things it's going to be a good one.

Free Friday

Summer School

 Instead of a normal blog entry, I decided to share one of my assignments for my internship course. We have a total of three assignments throughout the summer and this particular one concentrates on what I have experienced, the pros and cons, and any helpful tips to those searching for internships next year.

Basically, this is my view on my internship at the High. Enjoy!

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I am halfway through my internship at the High Museum of Art, but I feel as though I have already grasped all the skills and traits my internship has in store for me.

What I experienced:

-I know that the projects I am assigned are appreciated; however, there is no instant gratification because everything is planned for 2013. It gets a little frustrating to have minimal authority and to simply perform basic intern assignments.

-I have also experienced that working in a cubicle setting there is a chance to meet those around you, but more of an opportunity to hide from chatter and to get actual work done.

What I liked and disliked:

-I like working in Midtown Atlanta and being around mini cultural hubs.

-Because the High utilizes an official intern program, there are 18 other interns running around the office. The benefit of so many interns is that my department has two interns assigned to them. The two of us are able to collaborate on assignments, and it’s just nice to have someone experiencing the same thing to be one cubicle over. Along with having another intern to experience things with, I have enjoyed spending time with all the interns as we have weekly curatorial tours and Lunch and Learns through the internship program. The program is very well organized and beneficial. Fridays are always a highlight of the week, apart from the obvious.

-Most of all, I enjoy working in the world of art! I have grown a high fascination for art as a whole.

-There are some things I have not thoroughly enjoyed with interning at the High. Of course, these flaws are out of the High’s hands, but I have to pay a daily fee in the parking garage. As a matter of fact, the price just recently increased from $3 a day to $5 a day. It’s not a terribly high increase, but when working for a total of two months you really begin to remember you’re working an unpaid internship.

-The other unfortunate thing is I have not been able to display all my skills throughout the internship. I do not have the chance to try design or event organization, so I am afraid my super advisors haven’t seen my full potential.

-As the PR intern I was excited to work under the Director of Public Relations; however, the communication department is currently lacking this position. Because of this I feel as though I may be missing out on projects and learning skills because I do not have a specific supervisor in my field. (Don’t get my wrong, my current advisor is great. I just wish it was more PR-related than marketing-related).

Pros/Cons:

Pros –there are other interns to relate with, working in Midtown Atlanta, interning for a reputable and well-known institution.

Cons­ –cubicle life is hard to get familiar with, pay to park, not many creative hands-on projects, typically not a “hire after” opportunity.

Skills needed:

You will need to be somewhat familiar with Microsoft Excel –I have literally used it since day one. Also, you need to have time management skills. You may be assigned 4 projects within a week, all with different priority settings. Be sure you can manage your time and a lot an acceptable amount of time to general projects, while keeping a close eye on high priority projects.

What should you do to acquire a good internship:

Don’t be afraid to apply to an opportunity. You may hear that everybody is applying, or that it is a very competitive internship with a hefty application process. You may even have family, friends or faculty suggest looking for another option. Apply anyways. I went up against 140 other applicants. Sure I was nervous, but I was selected, and that helped instill faith in myself and my work.